Veneer slicer



C. R. MCFALL VENEER SLICER vApril 27, 1954 1]. Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 00T'. 18, 1948 IN VEN TOR. ar/wa/ Jil-clk!! MMM C. R. MCFALL April 27, 1954 VENEER SLICER 11 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1948 Aprll 27, 1954 C, R, McFALL, 2,676,627

VENEER SLICER Filed Oct. 18', 1948 1,1 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR;

April 27, 1954 c. R.v MCFALI.

VENEER SLICER y 11 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct, 18, 1948 April 27, 1954 c. R. MCFALL 2,676,627

VENEER SLICER Filed oct. 1a, 1948 11 sheets-sheet 5 C. R. MCFALL VENEER SLICER .April 27, 1954 11 Sheets-Sheet-G Filed Oct. 18, 1948 f mmmmi r yllllllllllll April 27, 19,54 C, R, McFALL 2,676,627

. VENEER SLICER Filed 001). 18, 1948 Y v l1 Sheets-Sheet 7 Jig. .9. 7

40 l- Arron/ns C. R. MCFALL VENEER SLICER April 27, 1954 11 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Oct. 18, 1948 API-i127, 1954 c. R. MCFALL 2,676,627

VENEER SLICER Filed Oct. 18, 1948 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 ne66666626enum!!! April 27, 1954 Q R Mop-ALL 2,676,627

l VENEER SLICER Filed OC. 18., 1948 ll Sheets-Sheet l0 INVENTOR.

A TTOKNEYJ April 27, 1954 c. R. MCFALL 2,676,627

VENEER SLICER Filed Oct. 18, 1948 l1 Sheets-Sheet 1l AWMF/5 Patented Apr. 27, 1954 UNITED STATES ATNT OFFICE VNEER SLICER tion of Tennessee Application ctober 18, 1948, Serial N o. 55,183

(Cl. 14A- 178) 8 Claims. l

This invention relates to veneer Slicers ofthe reciprocating iiitch type such as are utilized in the production of high quality furniture Veneers, paneling and the like.

While veneer Slicers of thereciprocating flitch type have 1been known for many years and have achieved a considerable measure of success, there were heretofore many features of their structure and operation which gave rise to problems of a serious nature.

Basically the user of aveneer cutting machine is concerned with the quality of the work done, the speed with which it may be accomplished and the protection of the operators against injury and the equipment against damage. However, despite the generally high quality of the output of the reciprocating fitch type veneer Slicer, there are several inherent features of this type of machine slicer which mitigate Yagainst the maintenance of high standards in allV of the foregoing categories. One of these is the tremendous mass of the fiitch table and fiitch and the counterweights therefor which have such a large operating inertia that quick stoppage oi the flitch has been heretofore diflicult of achievement with the result that cutting knives have been damaged by engagement-with foreign obstructions embedded in the itch and oceasionally operators have been injured because of the difficulty encountered in stopping the flitch table quickly enough to permit the operator to reassume a safe position before being injured by some moving part of the machine.

Another problem whichhas been present for many years is that of stopping the advance of the knife when the fiitch hasV become exhausted or when, for any reason, it is desired to stop the cutting operation.

Aside from the problems incident to preventing damage to the iiitch and machine,r there is also the problem of removing the slices from the vicinity of the knife in such a Way as to avoid stains, splitting and injury to the operator. Heretofore this has been done' manually and was an exacting and somewhat dangerous operation.

In summary, therefore, it can be seen that the Veneer Slicers of the prior art, whilel capable of producing good quality results, required the constant attendance of an alert and skilled operator.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages of the reciprocating flitch type veneer Slicer and to Vprovide a slicer of that type which is characterized by safe, high speed operation and the production 2 of top quality slices suitable vfor use in manufacturing furniture and the like.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide for arresting the advance of the knife automatically at any predetermined position whereby to cause the cessation of the slicing operation at any desired stage in the consumption of the flitch.

t is also contemplated according to the present invention thaty the slices cut from the flitch be delivered automatically at a constant rate and free of stain or of stresses capable of producing splitting to asafeposition beyondv the moving parts of the machine despite variations in the thickness of the slices cut or in the number of slices cut per unit time.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a brake which may be instantly set to stop the motion of the ii'itch table should a bladedamaging object be encountered in the ditch Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof in conjunction with the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a veneer slicer constructed' in accordance with the priniples of the present invention;

Figure 2 is" an end View showing, in elevation, the drive for the flitch table and a portion of the mechanism for advancing the knife toward the flitch;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation looking into the front or itch holding portion of the flitch table of the machine of Figure l;

Figure i is a top plan View of the machine, a portion of the operatingY mechanism being deleted in the interest of convenience of illustration;

Figure 5 isa View in section taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a View predominantly in elevation looking at the face of the knife andthe assembly associated therewith;

Figure '7 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 'l-l of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a view in Vertical section taken on the line S-B of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a detailed View of a portion of the belt supporting mechanism illustrated in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a View in vertical section taken on` line lil-lil of Figure 8;

Figure l1- is a plan view taken from the plane of the line H-ll of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the line l2-l2 of Figure 10;

Figure 13 is a view partially in plan and partially in horizontal section of the mechanism for controlling the advance of the knife to the flitch;

Figure 14 is a view in side elevation of the portion of the mechanism of Figure 13 that controls the rate of advance of the knife toward the itch;

Figure 15 is a view in vertical section taken on the line i5|5 of Figure 14;

Figure 16 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the driving mechanism for advancing the knife and of the apparatus for disengaging said mechnism;

Figure 1'? is a view in elevation of the apparatus for energizing the disengaging apparatus of Figure 16;

Figure 18 is a detailed View of a connecting part of the apparatus of Figure 17;

Figure 19 is a View in section taken on the line IS-i of Figure 18; and

Figure 20 is a circuit diagram illustrating the interrelation of the various power sources and controls with which the machine is equipped.

Before a specific description of the various components of the present machine is undertaken, a a general description of its component sub-assemblies will be undertaken. These in their interrelation can best be understood in conjunction with Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings.

In these figures the numeral i@ represents a fiitch table mounted for reciprocation on three guide rails il, i2 and i3 supported from a frame I4. The flitch table it is provided with a plurality of adjustable dogs i5 for holding the ilitch from which veneer sheets are to be cut. rEhe :ditch table l@ is reciprocated by pitrnans it and l'i that are pivotally connected at it' and la 5,."

respectively to the upper edge of the table and which at their opposite ends are pivotally con-- nected to gears 2Q and El respectively. The gears 2c and 2i mesh with a pinion 22 which is fast to a shaft 23 having keyed thereto a multiple V- groove pulley 24 which is connected by multiple V-belts 25 to a driving sheave 25 which is fast to the driving shaft of a main electric motor El.

As the motor 2l causes the flitch to reciprocate through he instrumentalities described above, a knife bar assembly 28 carrying a knife 29 is advanced in periodic increments toward the path of the hitch and into cutting relation therewith. This is accomplished by mounting the knife bar assembly 28 on a table 30 which is provided with internally threaded lugs 3i and 32 which coact with threaded rods 33 and 3d respectively (see Figure 5). The threaded rods 3S and 35i are driven from a ratchet and pawl assembly, the

pawl 35 of which is connected by a link 3 to an u adjustable crank 31 mounted on the shaft 33 to which the gear 2U is also attached. As the ratchet Wheel l39, of the ratchet and pawl assembly, is rotated by action of its pawl 35, this movement is imparted to the threaded rods 33 and 3d 'through a gear train including pinions il@ and QI and bevel gears 42, 43, 44, t5, 45 and fil. The pinion lil is fixed to a shaft 48 to which the ratchet Wheel 39 is also attached. The pinion lll and the bevel gear 42 are keyed to a common shaft 49 while the bevel gears 43, 44 and d6 are keyed to a common shaft extending at right angles to the shaft 49 and across the back of the machine. The bevel gear 44 meshes directly with the bevel gear 45 which is keyed to the threaded rod 33 and the 4 bevel gear d@ meshes with bevel gear di which is keyed to the threaded shaft 3d.

Since the frequency of the angular displacement of the threaded shafts 33 and 3d per revolution of the gear 2i) is controlled by crank 3i, it is apparent that the table il will advance toward the iiitch one unit per revolution of the gear 2t and hence one unit per cycle of movement of the flitch. The magnitude of the movement is dependent upon the length of the arm of the crank 3l and the phase relationship is determined by the relative angular positions of the connection of the pitman IB to the gear a@ and the crank. The latter are arranged so as to cause the stepwise advancement of the knife table 3G toward the litch table Iii during the upstroke of the latter.

Since the advancement of the knife against the flitch during the upstroke of the latter might cause damage to the flitch surface from which the slice is taken, provision is made to retract the knife bar assembly 23 and the knife 29 to a small degree relative to the table 3@ during the upstroke of the flitch.

The power for this movement is derived from the motor 21 and is taken olf by a cam 5i mounted on a shaft 52 to which the gear 2l is also fixed. A bell crank 53 is attached to a rock shaft 5Fl which extends under the knife table 33 and one arm of the bell crank 53 is provided with a cam follower 55 while the other arm thereof is provided with a counterweight 5d for the purpose of holding the follower di; against the cam El.

1t can now be seen that for a little more than 90 of each revolution of shaft 5f, that shaft will be held in one position while for another 99 movement of shaft 52, shaft 5ft will be held in another position the intermediate portions of the angular displacement being employed in effecting the change from one position to the other. rlhe cam 5i is so located on the shaft 52 that one position of the rock shaft 54 is assumed during the upstroke of the flitch table it and the other is assumed during the cutting stroke thereof, the changes from one position to the other occurring during the change in direction of the flitch table. This timing is developed so that rock shaft 5d can cause the rocking movement of the knife bar assembly 28 relative to the table 3f! so as to keep the blade 2Q from scoring the flitch during the concurrent advancement of the knife bar assembly and upstroke of the hitch.

Upon reference to Figure 6 it will be noted that the knife bar assembly 28 is mounted for rocking movement cn the table 38 by stub shafts or stub journals Eil' and 5@ arranged at opposite sides of the table 36 and the knife bar assembly 28. The axis of the journals 51 and 58 is so located relative to the center of gravity of the knife bar assembly 28 that the assembly 2S tends normally to move in a counterclockwise direction from the Figure 1 position. This movement is arrested, however, by two adjustable set screws 59 and 6d, see Figure 10.

Movement in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1, is accomplished by the rock shaft 5t which is square in cross section for part of its length to accommodate an arm `Si connected by a pitman 62 to an arm 63 pivoted on a stub shaft d4 mounted in a sub-frame 55 of the main table 36. The arm 63 is connected by a pitinan 63 with another arm 61 located on the opposite side of the machine and pivotally mounted on a stub table 30.

Each of the arms 63 and 6ft includes at its base near the axis of pivot a groove constituting aball socket, see Figure 19. Theballl socketl of the arm Si receives a ball constituting` the end of a link i8 and the ball`v socket of the arm `Bil receives a ball constituting the end of a link 'l l. The links le and il are composed of complementarily threaded mutually telescoping elements and are individually adjustable as to length. At their ends remote from the connections to links l and S3 respectively they areA received in sockets 'l2 and E3 respectively.

The sockets i2 and i3 respectively are mounted on the ends of bolts i4 and l5. These bolts are threaded into elongate plates lli ,and Tl', the shape of which can best be understood by reference to Figure 11. Elongate plates 'i8 and il are attached to the knife bar assembly 28 at their ends remote from the set screws 59 and E0 and their under sides are cut out to form hemicylindrical bearing surfaces 78 tocoact with the stubv shaftsv 5l and 58.

The table 38 is comprised not only of the side Y elements or sub-frames te and t9v but also includes a pair of cross frame elements i9 and 88, see Figure l. The top surfaces ofthe sub-frames i d and 58V are provided with hernicylindrical bearing surfaces, one of which is indicated at 8l in Figure 12. A

It can now be seen that as the rock shaft 513 is oscillated by the operation of cam 5i the knife bar assembly 28 through the action of toggles 'ill and l! is rocked about the common axis of stub shafts '8l and '58. Referring again to Figure it is now apparent that the clockwise movement of the knife bar assembly 28 is actually caused by the straightening of the toggle links brought about by the angular displacement of the elongated bases of the arms 83 and B-l and that the return or counterclockwise movement is gravity induced in response totheshortening of the effectivelength of the toggle links 'lll and il caused by rocking of the shaft Eil' in the other direction under the inuence of weight 58.

The magnitudev of the toggle action is controlled by the set screws 59 and te, already described, and by stops S2 and 83. Upon reference to Figure 1li it will be observed that stops 82 and S3 are comprised respectively of threaded bolts Si and 85 provided with heads 86 and 8l and nuts 88 and 89. Unlike theset screws 59 and 68 which bear against the upper surfaces of sub-frames 69 and te respectively, the bolts S4 and 85 pass freely through the tops of these sub-frames. Accordingly, the bolt heads: 8SY and 8l act as stops limiting the magnitude of the clockwise rocking movement of the knife bar assembly 28 as it is viewed.- in Figure 1. The ends of the bolts that comprise the stops `i591 and 6U, on the other hand, act against the top surfacesl of sub-frames 68 and i--respectively to limit the return or counterclockwise movement of the knife bar assembly 28 as it is viewed in Figure 1.

While the rocking action of theV knife bar assembly is taking place the entire table 38 is being advanced by the periodic angular displacement of the screws 33 and 34.. The table imparts its forward movement to the knife bar assembly 28 through the stub shafts elrand 58 and the members l and 'Vl' which are attached to the knife bar assembly 28 by boltsv till,k seeFigure 8.v

The table 38, in itsmovementtoward and away from the iiitch, slides.` along: tr-acksv constituting. the upper surface of stationary channel members 9:!`and. 92, seeFigure 10;` The channel members 6; 9| and 92 constitute the side elements of a rectangular sub-structure constituting the main support for the entire machine. Three cross frames 93, Se and 85, see Figures 1 and 5, complete this sub-structure.

It will now be understood that as the flitch is reciprocated the knife 29, on each downward stroke of the fiitch, cuts a slice. This slice is guided by ridges 98 on a brass plate QSa, constituting a part of the knife bar assembly 2S, to a conveyor comprised of a plurali-ty of bel-ts 91. To support the belts a plurality of pulleys e8 are fixed in spaced relation on a shaft Q9- and that shaft is driven through a pulley connected by a dual V-belt :till to a pulley m2 of a speed reduction gear train itil. The gear train |83 is provided with a power supply pulley i811 connected by a dual V-belt 55 to the driving sheave |85 of an electric motor lill, see now Figure 4.

The shaft 89 is supported in bearings w8 thatare mounted on a bearing frame i6@ that is connected by braces H8 and lll to the table 88.

Each of the belts el is also supported by a pair of pulleys lli? and H3. The upper pulley H2 of each of these pairs is mounted in xed position on a shaft Elfi and each shaft lill has pivotally mounted thereon a plurality of straps l l 5.- Each of the straps ile supports one of the pulleys H3.

1t can now be seen that pulleys H3, being mounted on straps which are pivotally hung from the shaft il f, are movable toward and away from the pulleys 88 whereby the effective area encompassed by the belts -'i in passing around the pulleys l l2 and i i3 can be varied. lt can also be seen that, since the brackets llil and Hl are attached 'to the table 3B while the shaft H is mounted in the knife bar assembly 28, there will be relative movement between pulleys i l2 and 88 arising from the rocking action of the knife bar .assembly about stub shafts 5l and 58.

This rocking action has heretofore prevented the use of conveyor belts to remove the slice from the immediate vicinity of the knife and has considerably hampered the operators in the ex traction of the work output of the machine. Now, however, as a result of an important part of the present invention it has been made possible to employ conveyor belts such as are shown in the drawings at 91. This advantage is achieved through the use of dual pulleys H2 and H3, the one being fixed relative to the knife bar assembly and the other being movable with respect to that assembly albeit supported therefrom by straps H5.

To maintain the belts 91 tight despite the rocking action of the knife bar assembly each strap l l5 has attached thereto near the midpoint thereof a hollow tube H, see Figure 9, in which there is received the shank of a rod ll'l that is anchored to the knife bar assembly at l I8. A nut H8 is threaded onto thev rod ill and, between this nut and a free washer |28-, there is interposed a compressed coil spring l2l. The thrust of the spring l2! is such as to bias the respective strap in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot at i irl as viewed in Figure 8.

As a result of the foregoing the lower pulley l i3 is always spring urged to -deflne with the pulleys a8 and H2 a maximum area for the belt to encompass. Accordingly the belts are kept tight at all times despite the rocking action of the knife bar assembly which is continually changing the space between the pulleys 98 and the; pulleys l i2. Furthermore, because one;l assembly of theY type shown in Figure 9 is associated with each strap i le, the belts 97 are individually tensioned so that compensation is afforded for differences in stretch characteristics as between individual belts and even minor differences in initial length are fully compensated.

Above the knife bar assembly 2t is located. the pressure bar assembly 122 which comprises a pressure bar 423 and a pressure cap 121i. The pressure bar cap 12d is of very rugged and heavy construction and is of increased size at the center in order to resist the severe strain to which it is subjected as a result of the heat of the veneer cutting operation. The cap 121i is held in place by two large stud bolts 125 and 1215 at its opposite ends which pass through 4blocks 121 and 128 that are integral with the cap 124. The stud bolts also pass through integral projections 12d and 13E of the knife @bar assembly 28 and it is by this arrangement that the cap assembly 1213 is held from the knife bar assembly for movement therewith. rfwo .bolts 131 at opposite sides of the machine serve to adjust the blocks i271 and 23 vertically and four bolts 132 threaded into the blocks 12? and i528 but bearing on the upper surface of the knife bar assembly serve to distribute the load of the adjustment.

The pressure cap 121i is provided at its upper margin with a channel element 133 which is bolted at its opposite ends to the pressure cap 12d and is provided at the center with an adjusting bolt 131i by which the entire pressure cap can be stressed as necessary to compensate for heat distortion.

t the rear margins the pressure cap is also provided with a stressing device, this time in the form of a pair of straps 135 connected by bolts to the opposite ends of the cap if@ and centrally connected together at 136 to receive a stressing bolt 13'? similar in structure and function to the bolt i313' acting on the upper skirt of the cap 125i. The cap 124 is also provided with reinforcing webs at 138.

It can now be seen that elaborate and complete adjustment of the pressure bar cap is possible whereby the pressure bar 123 may be rigidly maintainedL in any precise position of adjustment throughout a cutting operation and despite the heat generated thereby.

Having now described the basic structure of the machine so that a general understanding of its. operation can be had, reference will now be made to details of construction and to the controls which constitute an important part of this invention and which render the machine safe and easy to use as Well as productive of a very high quality finished veneer.

The machine is capable of handling very large and heavy Hitches and the entire flitch table 16 is very heavy. Accordingly, to insure smooth operation, large and heavy counterweights 139 and l are provided on shafts 38 and 52 respectively. These counterweights naturally impart considera-ble inertia to the machine and with the inclined guide rails 11, 12 and 13 a smooth draw out is effected. The dogs which hold the hitch are arranged in pairs at the top and bottom respectively oi' a pair of shafts 141 and 52 that are oppositely threaded. The lower dogs of Figure 3 are raised by turning the respective shaft isi in one direction while the upper dogs are lowered by turning the respective shaft 1182 in the saine direction. This greatly contributes to the ease with which the iltch is attached to the table by permitting the use of a pneumatic Wrench during flitch changes. The dogs 15 ride in steel guide strips 143.

While the inertia of the litch table is generally desirable it is a feature of the present invention to provide means for stopping the table instantly should a condition be encountered requiring such action. To this end the main motor 21 is provided with an electromagnetic brake i. As can Ibe seen upon reference to Figures 2 and 4 this brake acts on a drum 1135 fixed to the shaft of the main motor 27 and comprises shoes 146 and it? which are expanded by a spring 143. A solenoid M9, when energized, operates the shoes through links to set the brake. Due to the use of the multiple V-belts 125 the braking action applied to the motor shaft is transmitted to the itch table without appreciable slippage and yet without causing damaging shock to the gears 2Q, 21 and 22.

Another safety feature of the present invention involves the automatic stopping of the knife table feeding mechanism when the knife has moved toward the iiitch for a predetermined distance. This apparatus can best be understood by reference to Figures 17, 18 and 19 Wherein there is shown a rod 15E! which extends along the bed frame 91 in a mounting tube 151. The rod 15) lies in the path of a bolt 152 which is threaded into a bracket 153 mounted on the rear of a knife table sub-frame 6.13. By adjusting the magnitude of the extension of the bolt 152 to the left of the bracket 153 as viewed in Figure 17, it is possible to predetermine a position of the knife relative to the flitch at which the bolt 152 will engage and displace rod itt. Accordingly, when a desired number of slices have been cut from the flitch it is possible to stop the forward feed of the knife by an instrumentality under the control of the rod 151i. This instrumentality is a solenoid 1515, see Figure 16, which retracts the pawl 35 from the teeth of the ratchet Wheel 39 so that the ratchet wheel is no longer driven by the pawl and hence no longer drives the threaded rods 33 and 3d. The solenoid 154 is connected to a switch 155 which in turn is mechanically actuated by a link 155 connected to the end of the rod 151i when rod 1513 is displaced to the left of Figure 1i under the influence of bolt 152.

A manual method for retracting the pawl is afforded by link 15'1, rod 158 and bell crank 159. Thus, an operator, by turning the shaft 161i, on which the link i571 is xed, can cause displacement of the rod 151i to the left and bring about retraction of the pawl 35 regardless of the position of the bolt 152.

The manner in which the lower arm of bell crank 159 is attached to rod 1511 can best be understood by reference to Figures 18 and 19. It can be seen that a slot is cut in the rod and that the arm of the bell crank is passed into this slot without a fastening of any sort. The shaft 16B passes to the left side of the machine and terminates in an operating crank |61.

The details of the ratchet and pawl 39-35 can be seen in Figures 13 and 16. The pawl 35 is pivotally attached by a bolt 162 to a bifurcated frame 163 which is freely pivotally mounted on an axle 1611 to which the ratchet wheel 39 is keyed.

The frame 163 is connected by a bolt 165 to a pitman 36 which connects the frame to the crank 31. The crank 3'? comprises a housing 166 attached and keyed to shaft 38. The housing 16S is provided with a bushing 167 which receives an unthreaded end of a bolt 168. The

bolt |68 carries thereover a threaded sleeve |69 and this sleeve is provided with an'integral pin having a bearing `sleeve |1| thereover for receiving therearound the end of the pitman 36. In the position shown in Figure 13 it is apparent that the pin |151 and shaft 38 areV on a common axis so that no movement of the pitman 36 will occur when shaft 38 turns. If, however, screw |68 is turned through a keyed collar |12 it is possible to displace sleeve |69 axially of the housing |66 to create a crank `arm between the axes of shaft 38 and pin |16. The magnitude of the length of the adjustable crank arm can be read on a calibrated scale |13 carried by the housing |66 and a pointer |14 carried by the sleeve |69. Thus the rate of feed of the knife to the flitch and hence the thickness of the cut is accurately controllable and the scale |13 may be calibrated in terms of thickness, for example in one-hundredths of an inch as indicated in Figure 14. Nut is a lock nut for the screw 68 and nut |16 and washer |11 are retainers for the pitman 36.

Upon reference to Figures 1 and 20V it will be noted that the speed of motor 21 is controlled by an adjustable series resistor |18 provided with a control handle |19. This speed variation of course controls the rate at which slices are cut. The crank 31, on the other hand, controls the thickness of the slices. Regardless of these adjustments, however, the removal of the slices goes on at an unvarying rate predetermined by the speed of motor |81 and correlated with the manual operations required incident to removal of the cut slices from the belts 91. Accordingly,

the motor |61, see Figure 20, is under the control of a push button switch |86 controlling a main switch |8| whereby the motor |01 is rendered entirely independent of the main motor 21.

Another motor not heretofore described is provided for the purpose of backing off the table 3B in preparation forthe installation of a new fiitch and for quickly running the table 35 toward the flitch before starting the cutting operation. rihis motor which is clearly seen in Figure 2 is represented by reference numeral |82. its rotor shaft is provided with a gear |83 which meshes with a gear |84 on the end of shaft 5|).l

The motor |32, being connected by gearing to the shaft 55, which is normally driven by the ratchet and pawl assembly 35-39, vis provided with a control of such a nature that the solenoid |58 has to be energized to retract the pawl from operating position before the motor |82 can be energized. This arrangement is best shown in Figure 2c where it is seen that a forward-offreverse type of switch |65 is connected to the motor |32 through the junction box |86, this switch being interlocked with the solenoid |54 so that when the motor |32 is energized in either direction the solenoid |51 is also energized to retract the pawl 35 from its driving position. Also through the junction box |86 the switch |55 is connected to theY solenoid |54.

A switch |81 designates the controlling instrumentality for the magnetic brake |44. It will be noted that the switch |81 is interlocked with another magnetic controller switch |88 in such a way that energization of the brake motor It by operation of switch |81 automatically causes switch |88 to out off the current to main motor 21. Normally main motor 21Uis controlled by apush button stop-start switch |89.V Inphysvical arrangement switches |88 :|81 and |65 are 'side by side on thecontrol panel at one iside of tem.

While, as shown in Figure 20, the rod |58 acts only with the solenoid |56 it is apparent that by a minor change in wiring it could be made Vto apply also to the run up motor |82 should that be desirable in any given instance.

The entire operation of the lmachine will now be apparent and to complete an understanding of this invention it is only necessary to describe the sequence of events through an entire cutting cycle.

A properly soaked and wet iitch is placed on the iiitch table and is fastened in position by adjustment of the dogs i5. While this is done the table 35 will be retracted to the left of Figure I. When the fiitch is in place motor |82 is shut oi by operation of switch |85 and button 85 is pushed to start the conveyor. Button |89 also pushed to start the main motor and to cause the stepwise advancement of the table 36 and knife blade assembly 28 Ytoward the flit'ch. The cut to be taken is, of course, already predetermined by adjustment of the crank 31. Normal cutting of slices then continues until the rod |58 actuates switch '|56 to 'disengage pawl 35 stop the advance ofthe knife.

The wet slices as cut are passed in wiping relation over the ridges 96 of the brass plate 66a, see Figure '1, onto belts 81. Excess moisture is kept olf the belts 61 due to the arrangement of the ridges in protective relationship on either side of the slots in the brass plate through which the pulleys |12 project. This prevents staining of the slices in the course of 'their contact with :i5 the belts 91. An operator receives the slices at the left end of the conveyor as viewed in Figure l and stacks them in the usual manner. After the nitch has become exhausted the table 35i and the parts carried thereby are retracted by operation of the motor E82 in a direction opposite to the run up direction. The brake motor his is then energized by operation of switch |81 to stop the iiitch table to permit replenishment of 'the flitch. Y

in the event of an emergency, such as encountering a blade damaging obstruction in lthe flitch, the brake is, of course, operated immediately. Y

While this invention has been described with reference to but a single embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction and in the mode of operation will occur to those skilled in the art and such changes are contemplated as a part of this invention as it is deiined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. veneer sl g machine comprising means recate r in a xed path, a knife asmeans connecting said table for limited rocking -o advance said table toward '.irality of belts constituting the slices cut from the ch of se-id belts including a supporting J supported from said knife assembly and assen bly of course, the master switch for the whole sysa supporting pulley supported from said knife table, and resilient means associated with each belt for maintaining it tight.

2. A veneer slicing machine comprising means to reciprocate a flitch in a fixed path, a knife assembly, a knife table, means connecting said assembly to said table for limited rocking movement, means to advance said table toward said ditch path and a belt conveyor for receiving the slices cut from the iiitch, said conveyor belt including a pulley in fixed relation to said table, a pulley in Xed relation to said knife assembly and a pulley mounted for bodily pivotal movement from said table, and means resiliently biasing said last-named pulley away from the other two whereby to maintain the belt tight despite the rocking action of the knife assembly.

3. A veneer slicing machine comprising means to reciprocate a flitch in a fixed path, a knife assembly, a knife table, means connecting said knife assembly to said table for limited rocking movement, means to advance said table toward said iiitch path, a plurality of fiat belts arranged in parallel relationship for their respective upper courses to receive and convey the slices cut from the fiitch, each conveyor belt including a pulley in nxed relation to said table, a pulley in fixed relation to said knife assembly, and a pulley mounted for bodily pivotal movement from one of the other pulleys, and resilient means biasing said last-named pulley away from the other two and toward the lower cou se of the belt in order to maintain the belt tight despite the rocking action of the knife assembly.

4. A veneer slicer comprising a flitch table mounted for reciprocation, a knife assembly mounted for movement to and from cutting relation to a flitch mounted on said table, a motor, means connecting said motor in driving relation to said flitch table, said connecting means including a rotating shaft, a crank, mounted on said rotating shaft, a screw for adjusting the length of the crank arm, a link connected to said crank, a pawl connected to said link, a ratchet wheel driven from said pawl, means connected to the ratchet wheel for moving said knife assembly toward said iiitch table, a solenoid for retracting said pawl, a switch for energizing said solenoid, means carried by said knife assembly for actuating said switch upon the attainment of a predetermined position of said knife assembly relative to said flitch table whereby when the ditch has become depleted the advance of the knife assembly is automatically stopped.

5. A veneer slicer comprising a flitch table mounted for reciprocation, a knife assembly mounted for movement to and from cutting relation to a iiitch mounted on said table, a main motor, means connecting said main motor in driving relation to said fiitch table, said connecting means including a rotating shaft, an ad- ,instable crank mounted on said rotating shaft, a pawl driven from said crank, a ratchet wheel driven from said pawl, means connected to the ratchet wheel for moving said knife assembly to- Ward said ilitch table, a solenoid for retracting said pawl, a switch for energizing said solenoid, a reversible motor geared to the means that is connected to said ratchet wheel, and a second switch for simultaneously operating said reversible motor and energizing said solenoid whereby the knife assembly may be quickly adjusted relative to the flit'ch table by energizing said solenoid and said second motor while permitting said motor to continue in operation.

6. A veneer slicer comprising a itch table mounted for reciprocating movement in a Xed path, a main motor, means connecting said motor in driving relation to said table, a knife assembly for cutting slices from a rlitch mounted on said table, a knife table, means driven from said connecting means for periodically advar. ing said assembly toward said table in timed relation to the reciprocation of the ilitch, means for adjusting said advancing means to control the thickness ofthe slice, means for controlling the speed of said motor to control the rate at which the slices are cut, a conveyor comprising a plurality of belts for receiving the slices cut from the flitch, each of said belts including a supporting pulley supported from said knife assembly and a supporting pulley supported from said knife table and resilient means associated with each belt for maintaining it tight, and a conveyor motor independent of said main motor for delivering the cut slices to an operator at a constant speed irrespective of the rate of cut or the thickness of cut of the slices.

7. A veneer slicer comprising a flitch table mounted for reciprccation in a fixed path, a knife assembly, a knife table, means connecting said knife assembly to said table for limited roclr'ng movement, a motor, driving gears, pitmans connecting said table to said dri-ving gears, shafts for said driving gears, fcounterweights on said shafts, a driving pinion for said gears, an electric brake acting on a rotor shaft of said motor and multiple V-belts connecting the rotor shaft of said motor to said pinion, a plurality of belts constituting a conveyor for receiving the slices cut from the fiitch, each of said belts including a supporting pulley supported from said knife assembly and a supporting pulley supported from said knife table, and resilient means associate with each belt for maintaining it tight.

8. A veneer slicer comprising a flitch table mounted for reciprocating movement in a fixed path, a knife assembly mounted for movement into cutting relation with a flitch mounted on said table, a knife table, common means for reciprocating said itch table and for moving said assembly, an electric brake for instantl/- stopping said common means, a plurality of belts constituting a conveyor mounted on said assembly for conveying the slices cut from a ditch, each of said belts including a supporting pulley supported from said knife assembly and a supporting pulley suported from said knife table and resilient means associated with each belt for maintaining it tight, and means independent of said common means for driving said con whereby the conveyor may continue to o` despite the actuation of said electric brake 'f remove the already cut slices from the yvicinity of the knife assembly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 172,428 Haddock Jan. 18, 1875 410,403 Crane Sept. 3, 1889 425,988 Crane Apr. 22, 1890 793,306 Koss June 27, 1305 858,568 Brosius July 2, i907 1,132,464 Elmore Mar. 16, 1915 1,143,081 Shellenberger June 15, 1915 1,615,489 Straub Jan, 25, 1927 1,841,544 Merritt Jan. 19, 1.232 2,147,531 Heath Feb. 14, 1939 2,303,213 4 Koss Nov. 24, 1942 

